This invention relates in general to a water conditioning system. It deals more particularly with the regeneration of ion exchange material.
Water softening with ion exchange material such as resin particles or the like is well known in the art. During the softening process or service cycle, the ion exchange resin particles acquire hardness inducing ions from the water in exchange for "soft ions", or ions which do not induce hardness. After prolonged contact of the resin particles with the raw water, their ion exchange capacity is diminished considerably and regeneration of the ion particles must be accomplished. Regeneration is conventionally accomplished by contacting the resin particles with the brine solution, viz an aqueous solution of sodium chloride or potassium chloride or the like.
The ion exchange process and the regeneration of ion exchange material are conventionally accomplished in a resin tank, while a separate brine tank is employed to manufacture and store brine between regeneration cycles. Whe regeneration is initiated in the water conditioning system by a suitable timing means control valve arrangement, brine is drawn from the brine tank and passed through the bed of ion exchange material in the resin tank to revitalize the bed by removing hardness inducing ions from it and replacing them with sodium ions from the brine solution.
Actually, as is well known, the regeneration of an ion exchange resin bed in a water conditioning system normally comprises several treatment cycles in addition to brining. These might include fresh water backwash of the ion exchange bed X, in addition, rinsing of the bed with fresh water to remove residual brine and other foreign material. It is normally during a rinsing cycle, subsequent to brining, that the brine tank water supply is replenished to create more brine for the next regeneration period. After a predetermined amount of fresh water has been introduced to the brine tank, brine tank refill is terminated and the brine system is at rest pending a signal from the timing device control valve for another regeneration.
Present water conditioning systems usually incorporate a float to regulate brine draw or function as an added safety feature to prevent the overflowing of the brine drum. To accomplish this double safety feature, a shut-off valve is built into the main valve body. On some water conditioning units the only shut-off device is in the float which is susceptible to malfunction and overflowing of the brine drum. This is especially objectionable because all the salt will eventually dissolve and go down the drain. Another objectionable occurrence is the tendency for premature shut-off especially if air enters the system. A fast refill rate, especially at high water pressure, tends to lift the float and shut-off before the water reaches its intended level. Most float valves incorporate a flow restrictor to overcome this tendency, but in commercial two tank units it is detrimental in that the brine drum must refill quickly enough to make up brine for units regenerating in sequence. In placing a float valve in a brine drum, it must be set inside a cylindrical brine well to function. The inside diameter of the brine well is dependent upon the specific valving and the diameter of the float.